Ips Employment Specialist

**Role Purpose**:
You will work with clients (managing a caseload) who have mental health support needs, to assist them in securing sustainable paid employment in line with their preferences. You will deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach (for which training will be given); providing person centred advice and guidance to clients, whilst building positive relationships with local employers to enable clients to move into suitable employment.

You will work as part of a mental health team within the NHS, maintaining positive and integrated relationships, fostering a holistic approach to recovery through employment.

**Responsibilities**:
**Core Responsibilities**:

- Manage a caseload of around 20 clients who have mental health support needs who are motivated to start/return to work.
- Deliver the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach for which training will be given.
- To develop risk assessments for clients with complex and historical clinical risk.
- Assess client’s support needs related to work which may include benefits/welfare advice, disclosure of mental health symptoms etc, and provide support & guidance.
- Attend weekly clinical team meetings as an embedded IPS practitioner, providing updates on caseload progress at each meeting.
- To present to the clinical team during monthly business meetings, sharing updates on the IPS services performance.
- Source job opportunities for clients through tailored job search and regular contact with local employers to explore hidden as well as advertised employment opportunities.
- Provide education and support to employers, as agreed with the individual, which may include negotiating adjustments, return to work strategy and on-going contact with the employer to ensure job retention.
- Build relationships with colleagues in clinical teams to engage and generate referrals and create collaborative working partnerships with clinical staff (promoting employment as a positive intervention in the recovery journey).
- Once employment has been secured continue to provide quality service through conducting regular visits, effective monitoring and in-work support to clients and employers to help sustain employment.

**Relationship Management**:
Establish positive and integrated relationships with clinical teams, employers and other service providers. This includes:

- To embed the IPS service within the trust and to deliver presentations at clinical meetings to inform clinical teams about IPS Fidelity.
- To build and maintain employer relationships and maintain employer engagement database.
- Arrange regular meetings with clients to monitor and review progress pre and post-employment.
- Spend time getting to know local employers, to negotiate job opportunities that meet each individual’s strengths, needs, abilities and preferences.
- To challenge inequalities experienced by clients and address existing discrimination, whilst ensuring a process of learning for the organisation
- Work with employers to promote the service, identify job opportunities and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to reduce barriers in the work place - this can include exploring ‘job carving’ i.e. carving small slices of work from the duties other staff do not have time to do.
- To develop effective working relationships with a range of external agencies who can help individuals to achieve their employment goals. This may include local colleges and training providers.

**Other**:

- To adhere to administrative and data capture protocols which record the progress of individuals, and to keep accurate and complete records of casework.
- To work independently, reliably and deliver consistently to deliver effective IPS practice.
- Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems are adhered to and keep abreast of changing practice within vocational rehabilitation.
- To co-produce service development with service users where possible.
- To collect employment recovery stories from people accessing the service.
- Ensure that all relevant policies are implemented such as information governance, safeguarding etc.
- Partake in continuous learning about mental health conditions, their impact and how they can be managed and undertake mandatory training as required.
- Work flexible hours as required.
- To complete any other tasks required by the management team

**Stakeholders**:
Team Leader, Service Managers, HR, Occupational Health, Clinical Teams, User Groups, Voluntary Sector and Trust Training and Supported Employment Schemes, Local Colleges, Local Employment Service Disability Service Teams, Local Employers and other NHS User Employment Schemes.

**Job Types**: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £28,280.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Referral programme
- Sick pay

Schedule:

- Monday to Friday

Application question(s):

- Do you have experience or an understanding of working with people with mental